![]() ![]() It’s a huge place and although some of the attractions are close to each other some are only accessible by rough roads which zig-zag across the valley’s peaks which means although somewhere is only 10k away it could take an hour to get there. We planned our route through the valley to take in some of the highlights – just a few. Borax, known as ‘white gold of the desert’ was the most profitable mineral to come out of Death Valley. It was unimaginable to think that people worked the mines in this heat. #Hard truck 2 death fullThe heat hit us full on as we made our way up the hill to the old mine and the wagon cart once pulled by a twenty mule team. Mustard Canyon, which is just north of Furnace Creek, (where we hit 106☏) is worth a stop to view the ochre rock formations and the nearby ruins of the Harmony Borax Mine. Mustard Canyon in Death Valley Mustard Canyon, Death Valley Splashes of green where small shrubs and plants thrive prove that there’s moisture found in the valley. There’s history in the valley too remnants of the life led by pioneers, prospectors and the borax miners. There are mirrors of sparkling white salt deposits, multi-coloured lava formations and vivid rust and orchre striations in the rock face. #Hard truck 2 death crackedAnd yes, there are areas of parched, cracked earth but on taking a closer look you’ll find so much more. ![]() You might think it’s one huge expanse of heat-scorched landscape and barren emptiness framed by craggy mountains. It lies partly in California and partly in Nevada, USA. Leaving Lone Pine, where we’d stayed overnight, we turned onto heat-hazed route 190, a scenic byway, which seemed to stretch into infinity and we entered the furnace of Death Valley.ĭeath Valley is an area of 13,518 km² where the earth’s crust which has sunk leaving a flat basin. We stocked the cooler box with ice and bottled water, slapped on the suncream and studied our trusty paper map – GPS and mobile signals aren’t reliable in the desert. We filled the car with fuel and we filled ourselves with a massive breakfast of eggs and hash browns, oddly with a slice of watermelon garnishing the plate. On our drive through Death Valley temperatures reached a mere 108☏… Neither did the fact that the highest ever temperature on earth of 134☏ was recorded at Furness Creek in Death Valley in July 1913. Comments like ‘the tire pressure went up so much we thought they were going to burst’ and ‘you’ll need to turn the air-con off so the engine doesn’t overheat’ didn’t inspire confidence. We’d heard snippets in Monterey, as we waited to go whale watching, from other people who had driven it. There really is nowhere else like it on earth.ĭeath Valley also sounds kind of scary, maybe it’s just the name, but we did approach the drive with some trepidation. In complete contrast to the majestic granite cliffs, verdant pines and babbling streams of Yosemite, Death Valley possesses a sun-bleached grandeur, and desolate sense of vastness. The drive through Death Valley National Park was yet another highlight along the route of our South West US road trip. ![]()
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